Amazing Fantasy
by Gentle08
Summary: After an accident at the WILLE Research Institute, timid teenager Shinji Ikari finds himself endowed with amazing abilities. Our story follows months after this event as he comes to understand his limits and begins a journey with an uncertain end. An AU story with Eva characters in a super powered setting.
1. 01 The Ikari Incident

_Disclaimer: _Of course, I own nothing.

_Author Notes: _Hi, guys. I'm Gentle08. I've had this idea picking at my brain for over eight years and finally sat down, plotted some details out and here we are. The beginning of something new. Well, not _new _new. This is a concept that has been done before but I wanted to put my own spin on it and practice my writing skills.

I hope I manage to entertain you, dear reader. Please, do consider leaving a review behind. I could use some constructive criticism as it has been a _long _time since I've written and posted anything online.

* * *

**_Amazing Fantasy Issue #01_**

_The Ikari Incident_

* * *

A daughter gripped the straps of her bag as she walked alongside her father. She kept her expression neutral but her insides were coiled tightly in an icy grip. She was late. Terribly late. What would the others say about her? How badly would her teachers punish her?

'You alright, kiddo?' her father asked with a knowing glint in his eye.

She nodded first, but then shook her head. Somehow he could always tell what she was feeling.

'It's alright. I cleared it all up with the principal. Can't be helped if the car broke down.'

'You just have fun at your outing, alright?' He said with a warm smile.

Rei didn't say anything because the edges of her mouth said it all. Curling ever so slightly upwards.

'It's a pretty interesting place, that WILLE. Got a lot of sciency whatsits and gizmos. Don't go playing with anything dangerous, okay?'

'I wouldn't.' Rei said softly.

'I know you wouldn't.'

They stopped outside the foreboding gates that led to the WILLE Research Institute. Her father turned to her.

'Well, I'll be off.' He said, when a security guard opened the gates.

Rei looked up at her dad and hugged him quickly.

'Goodbye Rei,' he said gently as they parted.

Rei was led inside the huge building in front and sent up the elevator. The whole place teemed with incredible science but none of it really interested the teenage girl. Real science was boring, she thought to herself.

The guard leading her opened a door to a darkened room and beckoned her inside. In she stepped and felt a dozen eyes fall on her. She shrunk back and found a corner to hide in.

A doctor lady was talking in front. She spoke about radiation and mutations, something about gene splicing. She went on and on and Rei's mind wandered.

There were a lot of creepy things inside the glass boxes. Mostly insects scuttling around that glowed dimly in the dark. The lady was saying it was all to learn more about genetic manipulation.

Did the insects know they were different? If they found others who were supposed to be like them would they feel isolated? She felt oddly sad at the thought.

She came back to reality when she felt something on her chest. A hand. It squeezed her momentarily before snapping back as if it had been stung.

'I'm sorry!'

Somebody stumbled backwards and there was an echo of cracking glass. The voice yelped and the lights buzzed to life.

It was Ikari, Shinji Ikari. A shy boy in her class who now had his hand inside one of the cases.

'Remember when I said don't mess about when the lights are off?' the doctor lady snapped.

Shinji's hand was bleeding. He'd cut it on the glass.

'Ah! Ow, that stings.' He groaned.

Shinji was leaning against the table. He looked like he was about to faint.

Rei watched in mild curiosity as some WILLE personal hurried over to Shinji. She noticed one of the spiders scurrying away from Shinji's bloodied hand and instinctively shivered.

* * *

Back at school the others made fun of Shinji's incident and the boy tried his best to disappear into his desk. His arm was bandaged and he still looked rather pale. Rei watched him during class. Even his friends, Touji and Kensuke, would mention the Ikari incident and laugh.

Shinji found her at the end of the day and was red in the face.

'Is there something you need, Ikari-kun?'

'Um, s-sorry about today. I really wasn't trying to do anything. Honest! It was just an accident.'

'You said so already.' His words puzzled Rei. She looked at his bandaged hand. 'You should be more concerned with your own wellbeing.'

'Maybe I should work on my coordination.' He said with a laugh.

'That would benefit you.' Rei said.

This seemed to amuse Shinji somehow and he relaxed.

'I didn't know you had a sense of humour.'

Rei frowned. 'I was being serious.'

Shinji gave her that look she was all too familiar with. The confusion others had whenever she spoke. He would look away for moment and then exit the conversation.

He did exactly that.

'So, I'll see you tomorrow, I guess.' He started for the school gates. 'Bye Ayanami.'

Rei watched him leave in silence.

'Goodbye.'

* * *

Rei heard her mother enter her room and she heard the exasperated sigh. She cracked her eye open and sat up. Her manga tumbled to the floor from the foot of her bed. Her mother sighed again.

'Rei, you need to keep your room clean. How can you find anything in this mess?'

The young girl looked at the floor. Perhaps her mother had a point. It was hard to walk without stepping on yesterday's clothes or a book…or her camera.

Oh no.

Her mother left as Rei stepped over to the little device. She turned it on and everything seemed fine until she looked at the display. Something was off. It was all blurred. She'd left it on her bed and let it get broken. She hadn't meant to break it. She just wanted to look at some old pictures. Now it might not be able to make new ones.

Breakfast was silent in the Ayanami household. Rei and her mother only exchanged goodbyes. As the young girl was about to step though, she felt her mother's hand on her shoulder.

'Rei, you can't leave with your hair like that.'

She waited as her mother brushed it for her. She didn't complain nor sought to argue.

'There, now you're looking your best.' Her mother said with a warm smile.

'Thank you.' Rei said giving a weak smile back. She stepped outside and heard voices. It was a woman and a young boy she recognised from school. Shinji Ikari. She hadn't really interacted with him since the _Ikari Incident_, and that was months ago.

The elevator doors closed and took them down. Rei followed, knowing she had to take the train to school.

* * *

After school, Shinji found himself standing on the edge of a skyscraper in the middle of Tokyo-3. Some days he'd wake up in a sweat, some cold terror having gripped him in the night. He could never remember what happened in these dreams but he was always left feeling as if…being awake was the dream. Like reality was the dream.

Shinji looked over the edge and clenched his fists. His heart thundered in his ears and part of him begged him not to do it. His throat ran dry and his palms began to sweat under the gloves.

Shinji ignored the gnawing dread, stepped over the edge and fell.

The world seemed to slow down. Air filled his lungs slowly and he savoured each breath. He was free. Unburdened by the aches of reality and the pain in his heart. He wished he could fall like this forever. Truly free.

He opened his eyes and caught his reflection zipping down with him. A sharp dose of reality.

_Red._

_Blue._

_Green._

He liked the suit, feeling a swell of pride with his handiwork. Red over blue with green lenses for the eyes, three smaller ones surrounded each eye to give it that spidery look. What he was most proud of were the devices strapped to his wrists. Which was the main reason he was falling right now. Shinji righted himself and aimed with one hand. Two fingers curled to tap the pressure pad on his palm twice.

_Sssss-_

_Whirr-_

Click-

**Thwip!**

In all honesty, he knew it worked. He had tested it extensively at home, discovering its tensile strength and its range. This was the final test. Would his months of research, messy accidents and awkward conversations prove fruitful or would he instead go splat?

No, this dive was not to discover an end but to begin something. Something that felt important and worthwhile. A thin strand of incredible thread launched from the device on wrist and latched itself to the building and from there, and he swung.

The rush from the momentum, of being so dangerously close death, Shinji could not describe it. Never in his life had he ever imagined he would be doing this.

He kept going for a dozen blocks before stopping on a billboard to rest up. On the street people were walking and taking no notice of him. They stepped into their cars or hailed taxis and were on their way home. Shinji played with the thought of heading to his home but he wanted to spend a little more time field testing his web-shooters.

_Seems to be working great. Though, I'll need to make a bunch of batches at time. I'm using up a lot of fluid. I should add a belt to the suit to hold more._

Had people looked up they might have marveled at the sight of Tokyo-3's latest tourist attraction. The Amazing Spider-Man they called him. A local weirdo who was often seen climbing up and down the city and occasionally punching muggers. Now with webs he could move a lot faster through the city and keep a better eye on all the goings on.

It was a good thing he'd decided to hang around the billboard because he heard a chilling sound down below.

He couldn't pick out the words with all the noise from cars and the hustle and bustle of the city but it was panicked. Shinji leapt from the billboard and zipped his way across to the other side of the street.

A woman in her twenties was moving about frantically. She was distraught, stopping passers-by and asking them questions.

'My car! Did anyone see it? Please, it's a little Nissan-'

Shinji felt a weight in his chest. He was right here! He must have missed it. The weight grew heavier when he heard her next words.

'My little girl was still inside. Miku! Miku!'

Shinji leapt down to the astonishment of the pedestrians. He had to tap the distraught mother to get her attention.

'Sorry, miss. What type of car?'

'It's a blue Nissan-' she described the rest of the car in detail, shakily. She was in such a state she wasn't questioning Shinji's choice of clothing, or maybe she recognised him from the web. 'Please, my little girl is still inside.'

'I'll find it.' He announced and launched himself skyward.

He swung around the area, keeping an eye on the streets. The lady had said she hadn't stopped for more than ten minutes. Traffic was heavy so whoever took the car wouldn't have got very far.

There!

He'd found it or at least he had found a little blue Nissan. Waiting at a red light. Shinji let go of his webline and dropped onto the bonnet. The shock rippled through his arms and legs but didn't bother him much. The car now had some light dins though.

The driver, a young delinquent looking guy, shared a look of surprise with his partner and then both turned to look at the weirdo on the bonnet.

'Is this your car?' Shinji asked.

'Yeah.' The driver said slowly.

_Whoops_.

'Oh. Sorry.'

_Man, where could the car have gone._

Shinji was just about leave when-

'Help me! They're stealing mama's car!' A voice from the backseat, the girl!

The driver slammed his foot onto the accelerator while the passenger whipped out a gun. The lights had turned green and everything went to hell.

Gunshots rang in the street causing chaos. Cars either screeched to a halt or roared to get away.

The Nissan sped through the traffic, its windshield now possessing several air holes and its bonnet free of hitchhikers.

'The hell did that creep go!?' the passenger asked the driver.

'I'm driving!' he snapped.

The passenger stuck his head outside the car. The weirdo had jumped off right before he'd pulled the trigger. Almost like he knew about the gun before he'd pulled it out. He had the gun ready in his left hand, hanging out the car in case the weirdo came back.

Something moved on the roof.

'I think he's-'

**Thwip! Thwip!**

His hand was stuck to the side of the door by some substance.

'He's up there! I'm stuck!'

The driver swore suddenly. Not about the guy on the roof but about the wall separating the road from the river that was coming closer quickly.

The girl in the back screamed and so did the carjackers. They were about to go through the palisades, off the cliff and into the river. The guy fumbled with his foot to hit the brake but didn't find it in time. The car hit a speed bump of all things and was off its wheels.

Shinji was still on the roof when the car had flipped. If he didn't do something now he'd be crushed and the car would still take a dip in the river. That sensation of slow motion hit him again. He had to move now!

_Don't panic! Don't panic! Don't panic!_

His feet found the concrete slates of the pavement and his hands clung to the car roof. For an instant, the car seemed weightless and a thought sprung to mind. _Just how fast can I move?_ Very suddenly the car became the heaviest thing Shinji had ever held above his head and he asked a second question. _Am I strong enough for this!?_

Shinji roared as his muscles strained against the force. His thin frame hid the strength that he now possessed but even that was stretched by this feat.

It took Shinji a moment to realise the car was still in his grasp, held aloft by his hands. A terrified man clung for dear life to the doorframe with one hand, his other hand webbed to the door. The car was still revving but it was going nowhere. The wheels eventually stopped spinning and Shinji set it back down.

He walked to the backdoor and opened it, quickly webbing the driver's hands to the steering wheel, and found a crying little girl. She was coughing, choked by her seatbelt and frightened by the car flipping.

'My arm hurts.' She cried. She was scratched up and bruised but alive.

'Sorry,' Shinji said gently, reaching out for her. She shrank away, frightened. 'Don't worry, your mom asked me to find you. I just want you to get back to her.'

He didn't know if his words had reached her or if she just wanted out of the car, but after he'd undone the seatbelt, she moved towards him. He helped her out and she clung round his neck.

He set her down on the sidewalk and rubbed his aching arms. The girl was staring at the symbol on his chest. She looked up at his eyes and started to smile, like she was looking up at some superhero. It made Shinji blush under his mask. It didn't seem right having someone look at him like that, but it felt good.

It didn't take long for the area to fill with police and ambulances. Once the little girl was safely tended to Shinji took that moment to leave.

From his spot in the sky he saw the mother rushing over to her little girl and a smile played on his lips.

* * *

Shinji changed a block away from his home and walked the rest of the way. It was well into the afternoon when he stepped inside the apartment that he called home.

'Hello.' He announced as he slipped off his shoes.

He winced. It hurt to bend down. The price of learning he could lift a car above his head.

_I can lift 1 ton…maybe more._

Shinji mulled over this realisation as he walked into the living room. He stopped thinking when he saw who was sitting at the table. He was expecting his guardian, Misato Katsuragi, the kind but teasing woman with striking beauty. The only other person who might be sitting with her would be Doctor Ritsuko Akagi, WILLE's current owner and genius scientist (often regarded as the best in the country). There was one other person but it was not the good doctor who constantly reminded Shinji to be careful.

Misato sat at one end of the table, reclining on the chair in her evening attire and drinking a soda. On the other end sitting straight up and almost demurely was Rei Ayanami.

They'd barely spoken at school since the Ikari Incident. Why was she here?

Rei greeted him first.

'Hello, Ikari-kun.'

'Why hello, Shinji-kun.' Misato said with devilish glint in her eye.

'Um, h-hello, Ayanami-san.'

'So, Rei here tells me you spend all your time at school with your buddies but none with any of the girls in class. Even our new neighbour here.'

Shinji's fingers twitched.

'That's correct. Ikari-kun is very quiet in class though jovial with his friends. He used to be quite diligent but recently has been daydreaming.'

'Are you spying on me, Ayanami?' Shinji was going red. What was this? An interrogation?

'No. Katsuragi-'

'Misato.' The older woman interrupted.

'M-Misato-san,' Rei corrected with difficulty, 'simply asked a question. She seemed concerned with your well-being.'

'Aw, isn't it sweet Shinji-kun? One of your classmates is keeping an eye on you.' Misato turned to Rei. 'Just make sure he's decent to you. I couldn't bear it if my little Shin-chan turned out to be some sort of delinquent.'

The teenage boy scowled. She was one to talk, in her cut-off jeans and skimpy top. He kept his mouth shut only because a classmate was present.

'Ikari-kun has always been a gentleman.' Rei said. She tapped a finger on her chin, a thought crossing her mind.

Shinji balked. No, no, no, no!

'Though he did touch my breast once.' The girl added.

Misato snorted soda out of her nose and coughed.

Shinji wished his web shooters hadn't worked so didn't have to live through this part.

Misato looked at him for an explanation. She waited patiently and appeared calm. It was a lie.

'It was an accident! It was at WILLE when Ritsuko was showing us the glowing spiders and stuff! The lights were off and I just needed to go to the bathroom and couldn't find the door so I reached out with my hand and um…'

'It was an accident. Ikari apologised many times.'

'Hm, and here I thought I taught you better.' Misato said with what little dignity remained. Her shirt was soaked. 'I really did my best to teach him how to treat a lady.'

'Maybe if there was an actual lady it would have rubbed off better.' Shinji grumbled.

Misato stuck up her nose dramatically. 'Rei, feel free to snap his fingers one by one if he does that again.'

Rei blinked, turning to look at Shinji who had folded his arms in annoyance and looked back at the older woman.

'Misato-san. You really should wear a bra, it is inappropriate to be without underwear when in company.'

Misato finished her soda and threw the can into the bin and got up.

'Well, I'll go fix that.'

She left the two teenagers in an ocean of awkwardness.

Rei spoke up first.

'Ikari-kun, you are good at fixing things, correct?'

'It depends on the thing.' He mumbled. Still miffed at Misato's attempts to embarrass him.

Rei collected something from her bag and held out a digital camera.

'Could you fix this for me?'

Shinji took it gingerly and examined it. A digital camera which looked well cared for, but a nasty scuff on the side was telling of some recent damage.

'My father gave it to me.' Rei said quietly.

Shinji looked at the delicate face of Rei Ayanami and felt a weight on his heart. He knew her dad had passed away some time ago. This was obviously something special to her.

'I'll do my best.'

He went to his room to set the camera on his desk and put his bag down. He didn't realise Rei had followed him until he turned around.

She was looking around his room, her curious red eyes drinking every detail in.

'There are strange marks on your ceiling.' She pointed up at old handprints he'd made last month. They were smudged, thank god, but noticeable to anyone who'd look up.

'Oh, yeah. I've been meaning to clean that.' Shinji said checking around his room to make sure nothing incriminating was lying out.

Rei stepped over to his desk and picked up something. Shinji froze. What had she found?

'Who is this?' She held out the photo for him and he relaxed.

'That's my mom and me.'

'Is Katsuragi-san not your mother?'

Shinji laughed. 'No, she's my guardian. More like an annoying older sister really.' His expression softened. 'My mom died a long time ago.'

'My father died this year.' Rei had said this in her usual neutral tone but he could hear a hint of sadness in her voice.

Shinji looked away.

'Yeah, I heard.'

He wanted to say something to make her feel better but every thought just seemed hollow.

'I'll pay you for fixing the camera.' Rei began but Shinji held a hand up.

'It's fine. Don't worry about it.'

Rei frowned. 'But, I have to pay you. You are doing work for me.'

'I'm doing it for free.'

She shifted on her feet clearly unhappy with that explanation.

'I'll bring it to school when it's done.'

'Very well.' Rei said finally.

After saying goodbye to Ayanami, Shinji stumbled back to his room fell back onto his bed and groaned. Everything hurt. Was this what being Spider-Man would be like? He was helping people, that was the main thing, he told himself. Any pain to him was less pain to others.

He went over to his desk and put the headphones of his S-DAT player on. Shinji set about opening the camera and finding out what was wrong.

As he worked he thought about the little girl in the car. The way she'd looked up at him and smiled. An odd thought popped into his mind, strange and fleeting but it stuck around. He hoped he could make Ayanami smile like that.


	2. 02 Flights of Fancy

_Author Notes:_ Hope I don't burst anyone's bubble but this is not the pace that the story will be released at. I just worked on 2 chapters at a time and meant to upload this with the first but wanted to tweak it more.

Thanks to: Marco A. Salazar and StraightedgeEpyon for your reviews.

* * *

_**Amazing Fantasy Issue #02**_

_Flights of Fancy_

* * *

It could be lonely at night working at WILLE, Kirito had found. He didn't mind the solace though, he found it relaxing. It did give him a chance to stretch his legs and think. As a security guard he was tasked with patrolling the grounds and making sure no kids climbed over the fence to graffiti anything. Really, it was more being paid to wander around looking alert and thinking about what would happen next in his favourite anime.

He passed by storehouse B and frowned. Now why was it open? He shook his head. Once again somebody during day shift had gone in and forgot to lock. Honestly, he should tell Ms. Katsuragi but he didn't want to feel responsible for somebody losing their job.

With a grumble he walked on over, ignoring a crucial rule of his job: Inform someone else if something looks amiss before going near it.

Kirito was just outside the entrance when he heard a silent hum, like one you'd hear when near an electric box. Two pinpricks of green light fell on him. His stomach turned to ice as he reached for his gun.

'Hey, don't move!' Kirito clicked his flashlight into the darkened storehouse.

The green lights vanished behind something and Kirito panicked.

_**Blam!**_

_**Blam!**_

He heard the bullets ricochet off metal and the figure rushed at him.

It was huge, a mockery of man, and slugged him with a mighty crack on the chest. Kirito blacked out sporadically after the hit. His ribs shifted uncomfortably, maybe broken by the assault. He thumbed his walky-talky hoping someone would find him.

He couldn't speak. He just kept clicking the call button on and off.

The figure loomed over him. Tiny green eyes glaring down. Huge wings unfolded from its back and silently the figure fled, leaving Kirito to struggle for air.

* * *

It was early in the day and school had not yet begun. Rei Ayanami stared out of the window. On some days she caught sight of something strange. A distant figure moving between buildings. She didn't see them today.

A shadow fell over her and lazily she looked up. It was Shinji Ikari and he looked anxious.

'Um, good morning, Ayanami.' She noticed his brow twitched when he was uncertain. He had very calming hazel eyes. There was something about him though. Something she couldn't quite place or put words to yet.

'Um, Ayanami? Are you okay?'

The girl blinked.

'Good morning, Ikari-kun. Did you fix my camera?'

'Yeah, sorry it took so long.' He mumbled collecting the camera from his bag with extreme care. 'But it's done. It was just a misalignment on the inside which caused the weird blur.'

'Thank you. I have your money here.' She reached into her bag to retrieve the yen.

'No, no. its fine, Ayanami, really.' Shinji waved his hands. 'I don't need it.'

'But it's not right to take things for free.'

Before she could protest more a loud voice and a video camera entered her space.

'Hey Shin-man!' Touji Suzuhara put an arm around Shinji's neck. 'You chatting up, Ayanami?'

'I suppose he is.' Rei said bluntly.

Touji's eyes grew wide and he cleared his throat before speaking again.

'Ayanami, Shinji is the smartest dude ever. You could never go wrong with him.' Touji leaned in close and Rei crinkled her nose. 'Just watch his hands.'

'I wasn't-that's not what was happening.' Shinji seemed distressed. He was turning red like he had done at his house with Katsuragi.

'Uh, Touji I think you messed up Shinji's plan of play it cool. He's reverted to plan _pretend nothing happened_.' Kensuke Aida piped up.

'Here, Ikari-kun. You must take this.' She held out the yen. 'I cannot accept what you did for free.'

'But-'

'Uh…Shinji, what's Ayanami talking about?' his two friends scrutinised him.

'I just fixed her camera. Ayanami, please you keep it. I don't need the money.'

Rei kept holding the money out.

'Hey, I have an idea. Why not pay Shinji with information, Ayanami?' Kensuke said with a gleam in his eye.

'I suppose that will have to do.' Ayanami said with a sigh. 'What do you wish to know?'

Shinji frowned. What would he need to ask Ayanami? He just didn't feel right taking money from her, why was this so difficult?

'Here, let me help out again. See, we've been trying to guess Emi's bra size so could you help us out?'

It seemed rather insufficient a payment but Rei had no other option.

'Emi wears a size 34C. Though I suspect she should be wearing a 36 as her bras seem too tight.'

Something _untoward_ happened on Kensuke and Touji's faces. It puzzled Rei, Shinji seemed struck dumb, glowing red now.

Touji leaned in close and whispered. 'Say, what about the class rep?'

'Who cares? She's flat.' Kensuke got a punch on the shoulder.

'She wears a 32A.'

'Hm, okay this is a good start Ayanami.' Kensuke said. 'Let's see, who else should we think of.'

'I think that's enough.' Shinji said hurriedly. 'Um, thanks, Ayanami.'

Shinji sat in his desk and tried not to think about what Rei had told them. God, he would be lying if he said he wasn't interested in Emi's bust but did his friends have to take advantage of Ayanami? He shook his head and tried to focus on something else.

He pulled out his notebook and flipped over to his latest page on his webbing formula. The writing was nothing specific to anybody peeking. He did have to work out a way to improve his fuel consumption. He just couldn't make enough to quick enough.

As he pondered on his dilemma his ears caught a conversation about him. Well, not him, but Spider-Man. Some of his fellow classmates were talking about recent news.

'Did you hear what happened at WILLE?'

'Yeah, a guard that was attacked and said it was that weirdo, Spider-Man.'

'Aw, really? I thought he was a good guy. That sucks!'

Shinji stood up.

'Gee, Shinji, what the hell?' Kensuke looked at him with a raised brow.

'Uh, nothing.' The boy realised he'd been gripping his desk so tight the wood was beginning to crack. He let go and sat down. He hadn't gone to WILLE. And he certainly wouldn't attack anyone. That wasn't what Spider-Man was about! Whoever was doing this, he'd stop them.

Once school was over Shinji switched out of school clothes and into his costume. He swung over the city, his head filled with thoughts. He'd read up about the incident online during class. The guard had just mentioned green eyes and was still in critical condition at hospital. There wasn't much else really, aside from online guesses.

He needed more info if he was going to catch the real culprit. But where could he find some?

_Oh, duh, Misato._

The boy stopped on a wall and pulled out his cellphone.

'Moshi, mosh.'

'Hey, Misato. How's work?' Shinji asked.

'Hm? Oh, fine I guess.' She knew something was up. He never called for anything, just texted if necessary.

'I just heard in the news that someone had been hurt…'

He could hear the smile Misato was wearing.

'You don't have to worry about me, Shinji. I'll be fine. It was just a break in.'

'I heard it was that Spider-Man guy.'

'It's just speculation really, but I've got WILLE all geared up to protect its people and its stuff. I'll be home to enjoy your cooking, okay?'

Shinji hadn't realised how dry his mouth had gone while talking to his guardian. It suddenly dawned on him that it could have been Misato who was hurt. Just the thought scared him.

'Yeah, I promise.' He said softly. _I don't want to lose anyone else. _'I love you.'

The words just slipped out and Shinji felt stupid. Misato was going to have a field day with this.

'I love you too, Shinji.' Her voice was warm and comforting. It wasn't what he expected her to say. He expected a joke, poking fun at him. Instead the way she said it reminded him a lot of his mother.

'Thanks.' He mumbled embarrassedly.

* * *

Misato put her phone away and it gave her a lot to think about.

_Poor kid. All worried about me._

She remembered meeting him the first time. It was here at WILLE, she was looking for a job after her stint in the army a good seven years ago. She found a little boy with brown hair sobbing in the corner.

'Hey little guy, what's wrong?'

'I lost my mother. I got stuck on the elevator and can't remember which-which-' he dissolved into sobs before he could finish.

'Don't worry, kiddo. Captain Katsuragi's here to save the day.'

'Are you a soldier?' he stopped crying for moment looking at her uniform.

Misato nodded. 'Yup, I'll be able to navigate us out of here and to your mom in no time.'

Misato sat at her desk smirking at the memory. Thank god for intercoms, because she'd entertained Shinji for an hour while going in circles. At least he seemed amused with her antics.

She returned to her work, scouring over the inventory list of the storage unit that had been broken into. The list was a bunch of equipment names, metals and tools but one thing stuck out to her. Magnetic Propulsion Prototype. Why did she remember that? What was it for?

Right! The VTOL design for the JSSDF WILLE did a year back. Ritsuko had asked her to escort one of the engineers out when it turned out he was trying to sell specs to another company.

Looking at the list what was stolen were electronics for the Magnetic Propulsion system. Misato grinned, feeling chuffed with herself. Maybe she should have been a detective.

She dialled the police to give them the info. Hopefully this was all resolved without anyone else getting hurt.

Ritsuko Akagi had had a long day at work and she was looking forward to some food. Misato had invited her over for dinner (and she was glad to find out it was Shinji's turn to cook). She waited for the Security Chief to bring her car up.

Once the Renault Alpine had pulled up, she got inside.

They drove along, chatting as they went until Misato brought up something interesting.

'You remember Adrian Toomes, the engineer?'

His last words Ritsuko replayed in her mind.

'_That design is mine, Akagi! And unlike both senior and junior Akagi's supposed creation, it works! If WILLE won't use it to its full potential then I'll gladly take it somewhere else.'_

Ritsuko pulled a bemused face.

'Yes, vividly. He was quite a character. Especially that nose.'

'I think he had something to do with the break in. The only things taken was equipment for his propulsion system.'

'WILLE's propulsion system.' Ritsuko corrected. She sighed. 'Honestly, this is ridiculous. Is it really worth risking jail time for?'

'I dunno. If someone took the MAGI from you what would you do?'

_Kill them slowly, _Ritsuko thought without hesitation. To Misato, she just shrugged.

'He signed a contract which was crystal clear.'

They stopped at a red light and Misato changed the topic.

'Shinji called me today. He was pretty worried. He even said "I love you" before hanging up.'

'And you didn't run away?' Ritsuko teased. She knew it would rile her friend up. 'Huh, I'm impressed. You've really matured these last few years. This is officially your longest relationship.'

'Hey, that's low.' Misato said. 'Sides, when was the last time someone said that to you?'

'Well, it definitely wasn't my mother. My cats love me.'

'Ooh, how romantic.' Misato teased.

The light changed, and the car seemed to darken for a moment. The two women didn't think much at the time until something else happened. The car groaned as if suddenly taking on weight.

The wheels spun but they weren't running on the ground. The car was being lifted up.

'What the hell?!' Ritsuko clutched the side of her seat, watching as the street grew smaller and more distant. They were being pulled up by something.

Misato rolled her window down and stuck her head out.

'Misato!' Ritsuko cried out.

'Holy crap,' Misato blinked. Huge metal wings with fan blades embedded were attached to a figure in black with glowing green eyes. Their feet had claws affixed to whatever they were wearing and had dug into _her car!_

Misato aimed her gun at the figure's chest and fired twice. Both shots were on point, she had lined them up perfectly but saw the sparks from her bullets glint off the wings instead. It didn't seem to do much in way of damage but it got the guy's attention.

He glared down at her through his mask. It looked like a one a fighter pilot would wear, with a pipe for oxygen leading to the mouthpiece. Misato simply glared back and slipped into the car.

'Okay, so there's a birdman dragging the car up and my bullets just sort of pissed him off.'

'He's going to drop us!' Ritsuko said hysterically. She was shaking with fear.

Misato tried to think. There had to be something she could do to get out of this. Bullets seemed to be miss as if something altered their trajectory. While she thought the car was climbing higher and higher in the sky. Eventually her and Ritsuko would need oxygen to breathe.

'Hey, whatever Toomes is paying you I can double it!' she yelled out the window.

'This is not about money! It's about _my work!_'

Seriously. This guy should be chilling with his grandchildren not dressed up for Halloween trying to kill people. Misato wisely kept this thought to herself.

Misaot opened up the glovebox and dug around. She found a spanner and screwdriver, and prayed.

'Misato! What are you doing!?' Ritsuko cried as her friend began to climb out of the window.

'Well, I'm not dying without a fight.' Misato said with a wink, that was more to reassure herself than Ritsuko.

She grabbed at the leg and hauled herself up, clinging to it for dear life.

'Are you mad!?' Toomes cried. 'You want to die sooner?'

He reached down for Misato and the car lilted and they almost hit a building.

'Whatever! We're high enough already. Goodbye, Doctor Akagi!' Toomes growled as he clicked a button on his glove.

Their course changed and Toomes realised that one claw was still engaged, clutching the car. Something was jutting out of the mechanism, refusing to allow the claw to detach.

'Oh, so that's were my spanner went. Silly me.' Misato grinned. She reached out and stabbed at his mask with the screwdriver, puncturing the pipe.

Toomes grabbed the woman and hauled her up. This was enough to jolt the claw from the car.

'Rits!' Misato cried.

Toomes' next words were cold as ice.

'You wouldn't want your friend to die alone, would you?'

He dropped her and watched both the woman and the car sail down.

* * *

What was this airborne car week? Shinji asked himself.

Honestly, he didn't think he had enough webbing for this. The fuel consumption on his webshooters were not exactly economical but it would just have to be enough for today. Especially today. He'd been staking out WILLE, worried sick about Misato when he'd noticed her car drive off and a giant bird follow.

Shinji had struggled to keep up but once the car was headed downward with Misato following behind, it made a compelling argument for him to catch up.

Once again, he was atop an out of control car with people screaming. Including him.

He grabbed Misato and yelled at her to hold on, then he set about halting the car.

'Please work, please work, please work!'

Shinji fired webbing everywhere. Several shots trailed off into air but others found walls to stick to. He kept going, triggering the shooters and attaching webbing to the car.

_Click-click._

'Crap!'

This was it. Right web shooter was empty and left had misfired! He grabbed as many lines as he could and pulled. He pulled and pulled and felt their descent slow.

Would it be enough? They drawing closer to the ground! A line or two started to take the strain and snapped.

_No! No! No!_

Eventually the car slowed enough and the elasticity of his webbing came into play, bobbing the vehicle up and down.

He'd done it. The car was stuck a few stories above the road but everyone was alive.

Misato was hugging him. This was super weird.

'Thanks. I thought I was gonna die back there.'

'Uh-yip. Just your…friendly neighbourhood man. Spider-Man.' His fake hero voice was dumb but it would keep Misato and Ritsuko from recognising him. He set her down for a moment to figure out his next move.

A chill ran up his spine and his head buzzed.

A hand was around his throat and hauled him off the car, he was being strangled and dragged higher and higher. How!? He didn't even hear him get near!

'Insect!' the birdman cried and punched Shinji in the face.

He had to blink away stars. Shinji had been punched a couple of times before but this was a whole other level. It hurt. It really hurt.

'Actually, its arachnid. We're part of the arthropod family.' Shinji choked out. He managed to gain footing on the guy's chest and pry the fingers from his throat. He kicked off.

_No fall was a problem for Spider-Man! _Shinji thought to himself.

_**Pfft-**_

_Right. No webs. Think. Think. Think!_

The bird guy dove and air-tackled him.

_Thank you, crazy birdman._

Shinji took a moment to struggle out of his grasp. This guy was strong, possibly on his level or damn close. And he was…humming? Wait a minute. That wasn't him.

Breaking out of the birdman's hold, Shinji scurried over the wings and kept out of reach. He looked over the suit the guy was wearing. There was a lot of padding and metal bracers. This guy wasn't strong naturally. It was his suit. And the humming was coming from the pack on his back.

'Get off me, you idiot!'

The birdman strained to reach Shinji, spiralling in the air and looping around but like an itch on the small of the back he couldn't reach him.

_Birdman's still trying to shake me off, good thing I've got sticky fingers._

Shinji crawled and stuck between the wings. He made sure they were headed towards a building and then put a hand to the metal plating that protected the humming device.

Shinji had to hold himself up by the feet between each wing to use both hands. The metal began to rend as he pulled.

'Are you insane!? Stop that at once!'

The casing popped off and exposed a series of coils, wiring and LED lighting that was confusing to look at. Shinji just punched it.

'Hey, the Hollywood kill switch actually works!'

'You idiot! We're both going to die!' the birdman cried as they spiralled downward.

'Lucky for you, Spider-Man is here.'

Shinji stretched out his hands and found purchase on a wall. They did not fall to their deaths. And neither did Misato or Ritsuko.

With the pack busted it seemed to power down his suit and the bird guy was harmless now. He hopped down to the street and set the guy down, noticing he couldn't move much at all.

'Damn you.' He snarled. 'They took everything from me!'

'So, they deserved to die?'

'I deserve some recompense!'

'And it doesn't matter if other people lose their everything?'

Shinji was face to face with the man. His hand balled into a fist. He was furious.

The boy stepped away. He had to help Misato and Ritsuko down. He didn't have to waste time with someone like this.

* * *

Shinji sat with Ritsuko Akagi and his guardian at the table. Both he and the doctor ate slowly. It was takeouts tonight thanks to Shinji being "too busy with homework" and forgetting to cook.

Misato didn't even challenge him. She just stared blankly at her food, picking at it with absolute apathy.

'Almost a write off.' She mumbled to herself.

'Um, at least you're here with us.' Shinji said.

'I much prefer this over being paste on the sidewalk.' Ritsuko agreed.

'That car was my pride and joy. I saved up for years.'

Shinji chewed his food slowly. The TV was on and it did nothing to improve Misato's mood.

'_It was here, in the financial district that a fight between Spider-Man and the Vulture occurred above the rooftops.'_

They showed cell phone footage of the tussle. Shinji sniggered seeing the Vulture trying desperately to shake him off.

'_No one was seriously injured but there was some backed up traffic due to a car being suspended poorly above the street. Clearly done by Spider-Man's webs.'_

The very next scene in the news was the aftermath of Misato's car plunging to the ground when some of the webbing gave way. Its wheels were misaligned, windows cracked or shattered, doors buckled and dented and paint scratched.

Shinji sighed. Being a superhero was tough. No matter what he did he always managed to upset somebody. Still, today wasn't all bad. Misato was still here and Ritsuko too. He could live with that.

He did wonder about the Vulture. That suit of his was pretty fancy. He wished he could upgrade his own like that but he didn't have the money.

Actually, that was a good thought. Where _did_ the Vulture get his suit? He was wearing it the night of the first attack so it wasn't something he stole in parts and then put together.

'You alright, Shinji?' Ritsuko asked casting him a look.

'Hm, oh, just thinking. Where do you think that guy got his suit? Must have been expensive.'

Ritsuko shrugged. 'Who knows? I didn't get much of a look at it. Regardless, the idiot was playing with fire.'

Seeing Shinji's confusion, the doctor continued.

'Toomes thought his design was safe enough to use for smaller units. It leaks some dangerous radiation. It's low level but if someone was wearing that for long periods of time it could have health issues.'

She lit a cigarette, took a drag and continued.

'So, WILLE decided to build larger units with better shielding to make use for VTOL systems. Toomes tried to make money on the side by selling parts of his design to our competitors.'

'And then he went and tore up my car.' Misato grumbled.

'I'm sure your insurance will pay out.' Ritsuko said. 'I'm actually interested in that Spider-Man character. The way he moved…it's fascinating. I'd like to know what makes him tick.'

'Hmph, he seems a little short for you to hit on him. I mean he was practically Shinji's size.' Misato said.

The teenager gulped.

His guardian finally took a bit of food and chewed thoughtfully.

'He's probably just some mutant kid looking to do some good.'

Shinji couldn't help himself and turned to Misato. 'You think he's doing good, Misato?'

She shrugged. 'It depends. Today things worked out but he's clearly out of his depth. He's got powers but no skills or training. You can only get by so far until your luck runs out.'

'Just between us, he was kind of a dork. He put on this fake voice to sound heroic.'

'_**Don't worry ma'am. Your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man is here.'**_

The two women laughed as Shinji scowled.

Misato's impression was clearly exaggerated, but Shinji could not correct them of this without complicating things. This deflated the boy who had been hoping for a little praise not to be a joke. He couldn't really argue with her logic. He had been getting by on luck and the raw power he'd been given. It wasn't something he had really been working on improving.

Shinji focused on his meal as Ritsuko and Misato chatted the night away. Perhaps it was time to really dig into what his powers could do. He needed to know his limits. He still did not know how strong he really was or how strong he could be. He wondered what the future would bring.


	3. 03 Trial by Fire

_Author's Notes: _Geez, this chapter took forever. Mostly because I kept switching up what happened in chapters 3 and 4. A lot of conflicting ideas. Originally I wanted to stick another old Spidey villain in, then I changed that up to mix 2 in (tying to pull a Sony I guess) but then I settled on this. Something a bit smaller, more introspective and with a dash of something looming in the future.

Thank you for your reviews Marco A. Salazar, StraightedgeEpyon, Seeking Professional Help and GainaxVel3o.

I will be pulling more ideas and tech from Evangelion from this point on and mixing it up with Spidey stuff. I already have two clear ideas for such things in coming chapters.

Well, if you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to send a message or drop a review.

And thank you for taking the time to read my story.

* * *

_**Amazing Fantasy #03**_

_Trial by Fire_

* * *

Three young men in their early twenties sat behind the stand. The one with blonde hair scowled as their useless lawyer caved in to the prosecution.

This was stupid. Unfair even. He would've made it out if it weren't for that freak.

Now he had to sit here and listen to some bitch whine about her poor, poor husband dying. Maybe if the old man had kept his face out of other people's business he'd still be alive.

'Tch.' The sound left his lips with disdain.

The judge looked at him, trying to act tough. It didn't faze him.

'I would advise the defence keeps quiet.'

'Yes, of course sir. Terribly sorry.' The loser lawyer found a way to sink lower.

'When do I get my turn?' The young thug piped up.

'Boy, I would suggest you remain silent. Otherwise I will hold you in contempt.'

'Hey, I was attacked by some freak! He climbed up walls and snapped a gun with his hands! Why isn't he here?'

'If you wish to lay a separate charge feel free. This trial is for _your _assault and murder of a police officer.'

The blonde bit his lip, needing to sink his rage into something. He'd let the judge have his fun for now. He'd figure someway out this. This was just a stop for him.

He caught some chick at the back with blue hair staring at him. Her eyes were red and creepy.

He sneered at her.

* * *

A blue haired girl stepped into her classroom like a ghost. She disturbed nothing and drew no attention as she went to her seat. She sat on the row nearest the window and it gave her a clear view of the green mountainside. The view was stunning and provided a wonderful image to escape into. Most days she would just stare at that same spot and do just that. Rei thought a lot while the others talked. Her mother was crying last night. She missed her husband. The trial was drawing closer and closer to its end. The pressure weighed on her mother's mind.

She didn't understand. One of the men who had done it didn't care that he had taken her father away from her. He only cared that he was being punished. He was angry at everything and everyone. Rei just felt numb.

She did remember crying when the police came to her door and told the two that her father had been killed. But afterwards she just felt empty. Even now.

Rei opened her bag and pulled out her pencils and drawing book. She needed a distraction. She hadn't drawn in months but she wanted too.

Her book lay open. The blank page stared at her.

What should she draw?

No answer came. Her heart was just a void of nothing. Why didn't she feel anything? What was making everything so difficult?

'What's wrong with me?' she whispered.

Familiar footsteps entered the room and roused Rei from her introspection. Her eyes met gentle, hazel ones. The boy smiled awkwardly at her and Rei's heart wasn't so empty anymore. It was filled with uncertainty and foreign feelings. Her mind tried to make sense of it but could not find a conclusive answer.

Shinji sat down near his friends, fiddling with his bag as if he were hiding something.

Suzuhara and Aida greeted him. Rei watched him slump into his desk and take out a notebook. He was probably studying. He did well in class. Rei always managed well enough to pass by unnoticed.

A trio of girls approached the boy, Shinji was too busy working to notice until they were right at his table. It was Emi and her friends. They weren't nice girls but everyone else seemed to like them. They just had something that Rei lacked. And because Rei lacked whatever they had the trio would often remind the bluette of this.

'Hey, Ikari-kun.' Emi said in that tone she used when she was making fun of someone.

Ikari sat straight up, his hands covering his notebook. He looked uncomfortable.

'Uh, hello, E-Emi-chan, Ui, Kairi.' He said with his gentle voice.

'You're so smart. I can't believe you got such high scores on our last science test.'

'Thanks.' The boy's face brightened as Rei's own darkened. She knew what was coming.

'So,' Emi leaned in closer. 'Can I ask you a question?'

Ikari nodded slowly. The girl leaned so close that Shinji had to shift back a little.

'What do you like more? Boobs or butts?'

'W-what!? No! I-I don't think about that kind of thing!' He waved his hands in the air and went red.

'Kyah!' Emi shielded her chest dramatically. 'Ikari tried to touch my most sacred place!' Her voice echoed in the classroom. It did exactly what it was meant too: get everyone's attention.

'Pervert!'

'Didn't you get enough from Ayanami?' her two friends pitched in.

The class laughed at Shinji kari as sank into his desk and tried to disappear.

The three girls cackled and left, having had their fun with the silly boy.

Ikari scowled and turned towards the window, his eyes meeting Rei's once again. He looked away immediately, clearly embarrassed.

Rei found him during break, sitting alone on the roof and scrawling into his notebook. He was sitting on the edge, hanging his legs over.

Wasn't he scared of falling?

'That's unsafe, Ikari-kun.'

Ikari jolted on the spot and almost lost his notebook, but a quick snap of his wrist caught it before it fell.

'Hey, Ayanami.' He scrambled to hide his book in his bag.

'I'm sorry. Do you also not like others to see your drawings?'

'Oh, no it's-uh, it's just ideas for stuff.'

He was being oddly evasive. Rei thought this to be due to his ordeal this morning.

'Are you writing?'

'Yes and no.' Ikari looked nervous. 'It's science stuff.'

Rei nodded.

She was standing across from the boy and shifted on her feet. Shinji spoke first.

'Does your camera still work?'

'Yes. Perfectly.' Rei moved her lips tentatively. 'Are you alright?'

'Yeah, I just needed some space.' The boy seemed puzzled by her question.

_I'm imposing_, Rei thought, and made to leave.

'You can sit here. If you want.' Shinji said suddenly.

Rei stopped.

'I will.'

She took a seat next to him, leaning her back against the ledge. They sat in silence, both deep in their thoughts.

The bell rang and they went back to class, Shinji held the door open for her. He smiled at her and looked away. She managed to do the same.

Rei found today's lunch to be rather pleasant.

She looked for him when school was over but he seemed to have vanished. Rei kept her disappointment hidden. She had wanted to ask if he would walk home with her.

* * *

Nerv's Japan branch stood tall in Tokyo-3. The swooping sides thinned up as the building climbed, towering above everything else. From the windows of the director's office one could even see a tiny figure in the distance, twisting in the air. When Professor Kozo Fuyutsuki stepped into the office, he saw a man in a tailored suit doing just that.

'I was surprised to hear you were back in Japan, Rokubungi.' Kozo walked over hands behind his back.

'It's temporary. I'm here to oversee Nerv's more delicate projects.' Gendo didn't turn around. He was wearing orange tinted glasses and his face was as silent as stone.

Kozo grimaced. 'I take it you are still with that cult?'

Gendo almost smiled. 'More of a cabal, really.' Finally, he turned to face the old professor.

'You still have no interest in joining.'

Kozo shook his head. 'I have no interest in playing with things best left buried.'

'One could argue the same about your research. Genetic manipulation plays with hidden treasures.' Gendo gestured to the window and Kozo looked. A colourful acrobat zipped through the air and out of sight.

'He's quite fascinating, isn't he?'

'He's not one of mine,' Kozo replied, knowing exactly what Gendo was implying. 'I'm not experimenting on humans.'

'Well, you might want to get a move on. I hear the Russians are already seeing results.'

'Why are you so interested, Rokubungi?' Kozo snapped.

'Sensei, what we uncovered on the Katsuragi Expedition…what we created…they are the next steps in human evolution.'

'You and I both know they are _not_ human.'

'Why sensei, I thought you cared for them. That's why you quit, wasn't it?'

'They might not be human but that doesn't mean I'd put them through-' Kozo grit his teeth and bit his tongue. 'What we-what Nerv was doing was creating monsters. You don't treat creatures like that if you want to get along with them. Eventually they'll fight back. We've already seen what they can do. We could barely contain it.'

'So, we need to step up. Humanity always finds a way to come back stronger and smarter.'

'Really? Is that what leaving your wife and son was for? Was that being stronger and smarter?'

Gendo reacted to none of this. It didn't seem to faze him at all.

'It was a decision I had to make. Yui didn't want to take part and the boy was just a child. As you said the monsters we made would fight back, eventually. If we hope to survive, we need to create ways to do so.'

'Have you even bothered to see him?'

'Have you?'

Kozo shook his head in fury. 'I'm not his father. But I have kept my eye on him. The boy is smart, like his mother. He has a bright future.'

'Well, perhaps when the time is right, he could help ensure humanity has a bright future.'

Kozo turned around.

'I'm not taking part in any of this. Goodbye, Rokubungi.'

* * *

Rei sat beside her mother throughout the sentencing. Her father's killers had been given life in prison. There was something one of the killers had said that stuck in Rei Ayanami's mind. They had been beaten before the police found them, alerted by an anonymous tip. Originally their defence had tried to get them a lighter sentence by claiming an unlawful arrest and spinning a story about their assault should also take priority. It quickly fell apart.

The car ride home was done in silence. Rei stared out the window like she did at school. She wished there was something she could do. Something to make her mother feel better. Nothing came to mind. The driver stopped suddenly. The road had been blocked off. Smoke was billowing out of a building and the road was cast in an orange glow.

'Sorry ladies, looks like we'll be here a while.' The driver said, gesturing to the pile up behind them.

'We're not far from home. We'll walk.' Her mother announced.

They got out. Rei looked at the building. A crowd had formed behind the barrier set up by emergency services. Firemen and police were there. It was loud. Rei caught bits of conversation. Some of the firemen had gone in to check for others but hadn't come back after part of the building collapsed. They were trapped.

'Rei, let's go home, honey.' Her mother tugged at her wrist.

The girl stayed rooted on the spot. She saw something move along the building opposite the fire. Her eyes widened.

'Look. Over there.' She pointed just as others in the crowd saw him leap.

'Hey! Don't go in there!'

'Oh my God, Spider-Man just jumped in!'

'Stay out!'

'Save them!'

Rei stayed and so did her mother. Everyone waited. The emergency people shook their heads, thinking Spider-Man had just made a fatal mistake. The crowd was more mixed.

'What a showboat. He'll get himself killed jumping in there.'

'Is he gonna save those guys, dad?'

'I don't know.'

The flames grew brighter and the heat more unbearable. It crept even closer. The smoke grew thicker. Rei wondered how much more unbearable it was inside.

No one had left the building yet. Everyone seemed to accept that no one would be coming out alive. Rei's heart sank. She had hoped Spider-Man would have found those men.

Suddenly a man flew out the window frame, screaming. He landed on the life net which kept him alive at the end of his fall. Another was hurled out. And another. A fireman followed and lastly, leaping from the tongues of flame came a lithe figure in red and blue. Spider-Man slowed his fall with his feet, clinging to the wall carrying two firemen on his shoulders.

'Yeah! Spider-Man!' someone roared.

Everyone roared with applause. Spider-Man helped the firemen to an ambulance and slumped over, dragging his mask up to reveal his mouth. He gasped for air and spluttered. He was covered in black and grey ash.

Rei pulled her camera from her pocket. She snapped picture after picture of the hero.

She got one just after he straightened his back and pulled his mask down.

'Thought we were dead. Thank God Spider-Man…he just seemed to know when the floor would cave.' One of the rescued firemen spluttered out.

Rei looked at Spider-Man. He was still catching his breath. He moved so unnaturally. And despite his size, he carried two firemen with ease.

The girl realised it then and there. The one who had caught her father's killers. He was standing just there. Before his costume, perhaps the reason for it. He'd used his powers to catch them.

She ran over. She ignored her mother and the people telling her to stay back.

He looked at her with those stylised green lenses seeming to stiffen at her presence.

'Thank you.' She said.

He stood still for a moment, but then he nodded.

Then he was gone. Into the air and on a silvery strand. She got one more picture before she was escorted away.

* * *

It was late when Shinji arrived home. Luckily Misato wasn't too stressed until she got a whiff of him.

'Yeah, I know. Smoking kills.'

'I have a whole pack for you to smoke, all at once.' Misato threatened, not amused by his wisecrack.

Shinji backed off. 'There was a huge fire on the way back from the arcade. Everyone's fine though. Spider-Man was there.'

'What? Did he jump in?' Misato joked.

Shinji got some water and glugged it down before answering.

'Yeah, actually. He pulled out like five people.'

'Huh,' Misato took a slurp of her instant ramen and sauce mix. 'Foods ready. Eat up before there's nothing left.'

Shinji's eye twitched. He looked at the food and thought just one thing.

_Gross_.

'I'll just have a shower first.'

'Okay, but I can't guarantee I'll save you some~.'

Shinji stepped into the bathroom and slid the door shut. He shivered. How could Misato eat that instant stuff? It was bad _before_ she mixed them together like some mad witch at a cauldron.

He turned the cold water on, undressed, dumping his costume next to it and stepped under the cool jet.

Shinji was shaking. God, being in that fire was terrifying. The smoke choked his lungs and turned his brain to lead. How did people choose to do that as a job?

The firemen were trapped behind debris when he found them. One of them had shared his oxygen with the two civilians. After hauling the broken concrete out of the way Shinji had found them all barely conscious, the smoke and heat having sapped their strength. Any longer and the same would have happened to him despite his powers. Luckily one of the firemen came too and directed him to the window with the life net underneath.

He remembered when the floor started to crumble. The firemen told him to take the civilians first.

They were fully prepared to sacrifice themselves if it came down to it.

Shinji wasn't sure he would have made the same decision.

In that moment he knew what he could do. With his powers he could help in situations like that. He could save people who otherwise had no chance or no one else around to help them.

_Do I deserve these powers?_

_Why out of everyone did I get them? I'm just some kid trying to figure out what the right thing to do is._

Rei's voice haunted him.

'_Thank you.'_

Why did Rei thank him? Didn't she know it was his fault?

Officer Ayanami died because he had done nothing. Her dad died helping him when he should have been the one-

When he should have-

The water hid his tears but they couldn't mask his words nor the pain in his heart. His voice was only a whimper, a condemnation of the self.

'I ran away.'

On the tiled floor Shinji's mask stared with empty eyes. It could not offer peace or uncouple this burden. At best it could shelter the loathing and perhaps, offer the chance to move forward.

* * *

Her mother had gone to bed but Rei was still wide awake. She found a website with information on Spider-Man and pored through every article. People had been gathering here to talk about him. His first sighting, in costume, was near the docks. He climbed walls and leaped. Apparently shooting webs was new. Rei examined the blurry images closely. She noticed something. She looked at her pictures and found her answer. The things on his wrists. Did those shoot webs for him? Had he made them himself? Did he work with someone who had made them for him?

Her mind raced with questions born from her intense curiosity. She wanted to know more. What could he do? What was he like?

Rei's search turned up a lot of new information. She hadn't known Misato had been attacked. Shinji hadn't said anything. Although, she didn't speak with him much either. It was always very formal. She didn't really know how to start such a conversation.

The girl was so full of wonder in her search. She noticed the site had a link with an ad, begging for any new pictures. Rei looked at her camera and bit her lip. Her photos weren't good enough. They would probably be taken down as soon as they were put on.

They might be good enough for something else, Rei thought. She got her pencil and drawing book. Her hand moved easier now, scraping her lines into the page and crafting an image.

A hero taking off into the sky.

She looked at her picture with a mixture of pride and critique. She had lost some of her edge but that old spark was just there, almost out reach, but it was there. It was closer than it had been in months. For just a moment, Rei Ayanami felt at peace.


End file.
